David Friedkin (March 8, 1912 – October 15, 1976) was an American writer and director of radio shows, film, and television shows.

Early life and education

Friedkin was born on March 8, 1912 in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

to Russian Jewish immigrants. His father wanted him to become a doctor. When Friedkin graduated from high school at 15, he attended the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

on a violin scholarship. At 17, Friedkin decided to become a stage actor. According to his son Anthony Friedkin, he was in the running for the lead role in the film adaptation of ''Golden Boy''. He then focused on writing and directing. He served in the Signal Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Career

Early in his writing career, Friedkin teamed with Morton Fine; the two would frequently collaborate for radio, television, and film for the rest of Friedkin's working life. Friedkin and Fine worked on Elliott Lewis' shows '' Broadway Is My Beat'', '' Crime Classics'', ''

The Line-Up ''The Line-Up'' is a 1934 American crime film directed by Howard Higgin and starring William Gargan, Marian Nixon and Paul Hurst.Langman & Finn p.144 Synopsis A young police officer is assigned to the detective squad investigating a series of t ...

,'' and ''On Stage''. The two also wrote for ''

Bold Venture ''Bold Venture'' was a syndicated radio series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall that aired from 1951 to 1952. Morton Fine and David Friedkin scripted the taped series for Bogart's Santana Productions. Synopsis Salty seadog Slate Sha ...

'', ''Escape'', and other programs. Friedkin and Fine wrote the audition show for ''Gunsmoke'' and came up with the name "Matt Dillon". He served as president of the radio division of the

Writers Guild of America West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 mem ...

. Friedkin directed the

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

''Hot Summer Night'' (1957), which was filmed in nine days, setting a speed record for MGM, and ''Handle with Care'' (1958). His and Fine's screenplay for

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), '' Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976 ...

's '' The Pawnbroker'' (1964), lauded by critics, earned them a

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility ...

. His television work includes directing and writing episodes of ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...

'', '' Dr. Kildare'', '' The Virginian'', ''I Spy'', '' Bearcats'', and the unsold pilot ''River of Gold'' (1971). Friedkin was nominated for six

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s—for ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...

'', ''I Spy'' (four times), and ''Frontier''.

Personal life

Friedkin married Audrey Westphal, an actress and former dancer, on March 31, 1945. They had two sons: Gregory Enton Friedkin, an actor, and Anthony Friedkin, a photographer. Friedkin died on October 15, 1976.

References

External links

*
David Friedkin
on IBDb
David Friedkin
on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

David Friedkin
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedkin, David People from Kansas City, Missouri Writers Guild of America Award winners Directors Guild of America Award winners American directors 1912 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American screenwriters